Mortgage help up for grabs

Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009

It will be a very merry Christmas indeed for one Southern Maryland family, thanks to a free mortgage payment, but only if friends act quickly.

The Alliance for Community Empowerment, a nonprofit housing counseling group based in Prince Frederick, announced its first "Home for the Holidays Essay Contest" this week. Entrants must submit an essay detailing the situation of an imperiled Southern Maryland homeowner and explaining why that person's plight merits help.

The person deemed most deserving of help by an independent panel will receive $1,200 to apply toward a mortgage payment, according to Jodie Ann Jones, a foreclosure intervention counselor with the group. Entrants cannot nominate themselves for help.

But the deadline is coming up. Entries must be received — not postmarked — no later than noon Dec. 19. Entries can be e-mailed to Jodie@acehousing.org or hand-delivered to 166 Main St. in Prince Frederick; they can be dropped through the mail slot after hours.

"I got the idea just because ... I guess I've seen a lot of movies where people do things like that for people," Jones said. "I was just real excited. The nonprofit, we have a lot of properties we have to deal with and our heart goes out to people who are struggling, especially at Christmas time."

She acknowledged the short notice but said the group found a donor for the money only days ago, and "we decided to go ahead and do it … There's just a sincere need, and I think that's why we had someone else nominate, because I think a lot of the time the people who need it the most don't want to ask for help."

Entries must be no longer than 500 words, nominate the owner of a primary residence in Charles, Calvert or St. Mary's counties, be submitted with the permission of the would-be beneficiary and include full contact information for both the nominator and the nominee.

The contest will be narrowed down to three homeowners by 6 p.m. Dec. 20, with the winner announced between 5:30 and 7 p.m. Dec. 21 at ACE's open house.

The award is sponsored by Robert Castro of Realty World Preferred Properties in Charles County.

For a list of rules and guidelines, go to www.acehousing.org.

Civista site wins health care award

"Health eCooking," an online recipe and cooking video program affiliated with Civista Medical Center in La Plata, won the 2009 eHealthcare Leadership Award at the 13th annual Healthcare Internet Conference in Las Vegas.

The award recognizes the best health care content in the nation. An independent panel selected Health eCooking from more than 1,100 entries.

The judges reviewed the recipes and cooking videos on Civista Health's Web site, www.Civista.org.

Two businesses come to Shoppers World

Strippers Hair & Waxing Salon has signed a lease for 1,600 square feet of retail space in the Waldorf Shoppers World shopping center, according to a press release. Also, Mattress Outlet has opened in a 3,000-square-foot space in the center, which is on U.S. 301 and includes a Borders Books and Music and other stores.

The salon was represented by Joe Lacey of Baldus Commercial, while Mattress Outlet was represented by Brian Mitchell of H&R Retail. Les Sax of Sax Realty in Bethesda represented the landlord, Waldorf Shoppers World.

Local women join Tastefully Simple

Jenny Chesser of Mechanicsville and Tiffany Gardner of Waldorf have become salespeople for Tastefully Simple, a direct sales operation offering more than 60 food products.

These business owners offer food samples at home taste-testing parties, along with ideas for everyday meals, recipes and serving suggestions, according to a company release.

Tastefully Simple's products are ready-to-eat or simple to prepare.

emitrano@somdnews.com